Sfas Emes on VaYeira

The Sfas Emes asks why Yitzchak's name is so similar to the word Metzachek, which is used regarding the actions of Yishmael and explained by the Rabbis as referring to spilling blood, idol worship and forbidden relations. The Rebbe explains that evil people think that they are happy because they give into their impulsive desires, but Yitzchak saw his Evil Inclination as a joke of sorts and realized that he didn't have to take it so seriously. Although Yitzchak was the manifestation of complete awe of God/Midat Hayirah, his face always exuded joy because he realized that the only thing to fear in this world was God and God alone. While Yishmael might have thought he was happy because he was able to indulge in physical pleasure, the joyous face of Yitzhcak was a continence of true eternal bliss.

One of my Favorite Izhbitzers and Rabbi Simon MeUman Parshat Shoftim

Just a disclaimer that this has a lot of my own personal interpretation here.

The holy Izhbitzer explains the prohibition of planting a tree near the Alter in the Tabernacle (found in the first Aliya of Shoftim) as a parallel to the prohibition of praying in back of your Rebbe (Hilchot Tefilah in the Shulchan Aruch). A tree is like a Torah scholar for the Torah is compared to Eitz Chayim or a living tree and although we must surrender ourselves to Torah scholars because they know more Torah than us, we cannot pray to be like them because in prayer we are talking to God who is the source of all salvation and blessing. We have to ask God to be even greater and to reach even higher. Therefore, we cannot place a tree tree near the Alter, the quintessential place of prayer or pray in back of our Rebbe in order that we not limit ourselves in our conversation with God. So in other words, you can be the Gadol Hador in prayer.

This is from Rabbi Simon MeUman.

The Rambam writes in Hilchot Rotzach Ushmirat Nefesh7:1 that a Torah scholar who murders accidentally must go to the Ir Miklat and his Rebbe must accompany him because the verse says V'Chay, that he should live and that a scholar who lives without wisdom is death for him. Rabbi Goldvicht, Rosh Yeshiva Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh asks, ok so he doesn't have is Rebbe with him, but there are other Rabbis who can teach him in the Ir HaMiklat!? Rabbi Goldvicht explains that his learning will not be as good as if it would be with his own personal Rebbe and that difference between learning and really good learning is called death for the Torah scholar.

Pshh

Rabbi Simon MeUman

Here are some nice vortlach that Rabbi Simon mentioned.

Reb Chaim Volozhoner explains the connection between Ase Lcha Rav Ukne Lcha Chaver and Vehvey Dan Es Kol Hadam Lcaf Zechus. Reb Chaim explains that if you so exacting with your friends or your Rebbes, then you will never maintain those relationships. No one is perfect and we need to judge our friends and Rebbes favorably.

The Noam Megadim explains why Rivka fell off the camel when she saw Yitzchak. The deep meaning of Rivkah riding on a camel is that a camel represents a mixture of Tumah (it does not have split hooves) and Taharah (it chews its cud). So Rivkah had good aspects and maybe some not such good aspects because of where she came from etc, but when she saw the face of the Tzadick Yitchakm, she fell off her camel and reached a place of only holiness. Sometimes all we need to do is see the Tzadick.

VAERA TIME (Short Vort)

I just saw a nice pshat on this weeks parsha from likutei halachos that I would like to share with you. It’s known that when Moishe Rabbeinu first came to the yidden in Mitzrayim to bring the news that the redemption is coming, the yidden did not listen to him “mikotzer ruach ume’avoda kasha” because of the harshness of slavery. It’s hard to leave exile and personal habits and all our narrow places. Reb Noson quotes the Yalkut Reuveini that says that the reason they couldn’t listen to the Rebbe Moshe was because they couldn’t find good deeds within themselves. Reb Noson explains that they didn’t think that they disserved redemption and that is the core trap of spiritual exile. We think we can’t grow or become a tsadick because we just aren’t good enough and that the moment we leave that Katnus Hamochin and find the good points within us can we break free from our prisons and become the tsadickim that we truly are.

Good Shabbos Good Purim

Yitzchak

All Together Now

Tonight we are going to say in Kabbalas Shabbos “Shamor Vzachor Bdibbur Echad.” When G-d commanded us regarding Shabbos, He told us to remember it and keep it at the same time. Now that’s pretty damn hard to do right? I have heard some cool Tibetan monks sing 2 tones at the same time, but to say 2 words at the same time is quite impossible. We obviously have to ask why G-d did this.

So lets look at these 2 words. Shamor means to guard or keep Shabbos and is explained by our holy Rabbis as the obligation to refrain from working (doing Melacha) on Shabbos. Zachor means to remember Shabbos and is a positive commandment, obligating us to remember Shabbos during the week and commanding us to say Kiddush on Shabbos itself.

Now lets get Kabbalisic. According to Kabbalah, Shamor represents the quality (sefirah) of Gevura or withholding. The only way to teach your child to ride a bicycle is by letting go of the bike and allowing him to ride it himself. Sometimes we have a burning desire to do an aveira, and yet we hold ourselves back, sacrificing ourselves to G-d. Gevura means the strength to say no. The opposite of that quality is Zachor or the strength to say yes (chesed). Yes I am going to help this person with his problems and yes I am going to actively serve G-d and do his Mitzvos. We “see” G-d acting with chesed when a great blessing from heaven is bestowed upon us and perceive His Gevura when we are “punished” for our sins. We constantly live our lives going back and forth between these two characteristics and the truth is that it’s so hard to know when to yes and when to say no. This dialectical construct is even found in nature itself, there is day and night, men and women, Yin and Yang, republican and democrat, westerner and easterner, Chasid and Misnagid and the list really goes on forever. Life is so confusing because we see the world as a rolled up ball of Machloket.

Hashem is so great to us. He tells us that Shabbos gives us a chance to realize that that Shamor and Zachor are really 1 and not 2 distinct conflicting worlds. Shabbos comes from a place that existed before there were these differences between people. Chevra, in the higher worlds the Jewish people exist as one unit called Knesset Yisrael. It happens to be that in this lower world we come down as separate physical beings, but on that spiritual plain we are one. If we look with Shabbos eyes we could see that we are all one. Do you remember when you were a child playing with your friend before he/she disappointed you and then went on separate paths? Do you remember when you could talk to G-d so simply before you did that aveira. The Torah calls the Garden of Eden “Gan Eden Mikedem.” The word Mikedem means the east but it also means from before. Before there was 2 there was just this simple place of oneness. Shabbos is Mein Olam Haba, a taste of that world which is the deeper reality. G-d tells us that Shabbos is our chance to see G-d not as Hashem the merciful or as Hashem the strong one but just as Hashem who is one with his people that are one and with a world that is working for one purpose. This why it’s so important to get together with friends and family on Shabbos (Shkoyach to Roz) because it allows us to see and experience each other in a much deeper way.

A few weeks ago the Times published an article stating that people are lonelier now than ever before. It’s hard to believe that with cell phones, AIM and Facebook people still feel lonely. The article didn’t say it but in my perception, it seems that so many more are depressed and have given up hope in themselves, in G-d and in life. We need to fight this darkness with all our strength with simple Simcha. I want to thank Roz for always bringing together Jews and even more so for Shabboses like this one in the Hamptons for no other reason except for us to be together and be Bsimcha. Thank you Roz for bringing more light to the world because when Jews come together, there is more revelation of G-d and when Jews are together on Shabbos, that’s just one big explosion light.

Good Shabbos and lets deeply feel that oneness of Shamor vZachor

Jerry's Yahrzeit

Besides it being holy TuB'av, it's also Jerry's Yahrzeit. The Grateful Dead means a lot of different things to people. Personally, the Dead evoke certain emotions in me that no other music can. We all know that if you are having a tough day, the easiest way to chill out is by putting on your favorite dead set and at the same time, if you are looking for a spiritual thrill you know you can listen to on an inspiring Terrapin Station or Warf Rat. Sometimes I think I was on tour for a few years or at least at some their acid tests in another gilgul. Who knows.

Summer of Love

Chevra, TuB'av is deep and I can only explain a little taste. Forgive me if it’s a little too gushy.

What the heck is Tu B'av? It says in the Gemara that the happiest days of the year were Yom Kippur and Tu B'av where single Jewish women would don beautifully simple white dresses and dance in circles, asking the men to choose their soul mates. You may be thinking how could this be done on Yom Kippur when we are supposed to be in shul praying to save our necks? The truth is that Yom Kippur is really a day of extreme closeness between us and G-d. On Yom Kippur, the Kohen Gadol, who represents the Jewish people, goes into the Holy of Holies or the Yichud room of the great wedding hall of the Beit Hamikdash. At the moment we scream Hashem Hu HaElokim at neila on Yom Kippur, no matter what we have done, we feel that all we want is to be one with Him and nothing else matters. It’s the same intense image of the Kohen Gadol with Hashem in that holy room, all alone. See chevra, Halacha is the same word as Hakala or the bride, because the reason we do the mitzvos and keep halacha is in order to make ourselves beautiful for G-d and to be unified with Him. If a Bride walks down the aisle and winks at her old boyfriend, we know it’s not a good shidduch because she has to be whole heartedly in love with her husband. We are totally dedicated and in love with G-d deep down, we just have to reveal that and shake away all our “spring flings” which only left us brokenhearted. So the great day where you go into the "Yichud room" with G-d, is the same day that you find your soul mate because the intense yearning and desire for oneness you feel for the person you truly love is the same longing to be alone with just the One above. The truth is, only when we get married, can we know what it means to go into the holy of holies on Yom Kippur. This is very deep. BTW, now that we are a little older and less immature, we must stop asking why do we do this and why do we have to do that but, how is this halacha allowing me to be one with G-d and bring his light into the world (its a whole different perception of things).

So chevra, why do we get married on Tu B'Av? Let me tell you a secret from the Bnei Yissascher. The Gemara tells us that 40 days before a child is created in his mother’s womb, a voice screams out in heaven declaring who will be his soul mate. In a few weeks, we will commemorate the first day of the creation of the world on the 25th day of Elul and 40 days before this is, that’s right, Tu, B'av! This was the day that G-d decided that he would create the world in order to be "soul mates" with the Jewish people. What’s really amazing about this is that we didn’t even exist yet, nor do anything to earn His love, but it was an ahava shlo teluya badavar, a love that depends on nothing. G-d saw our essence and loved us for that and in the same way on Tu B’av the women would go out all dressed in the same simple white because we were on such a high level that we would see past the exterior into our zivug’s essence and just know. What a simcha. After the separation we felt from G-d on Tisha B’av, Hashem reminds us of the unbreakable love He has for us on Tu Ba’v. Ya know chevra, its hard to talk about these things because growing up and watching TV really gave me such a diluted and shallow view of what it means to really love someone and for sure what it means love G-d. We really have to work hard to unbrainwash ourselves from all the 90210's and Dawsons Creeks etc, to think and feel deeply about what it means to be one with another. Bezrat Hashem.
Mazel Tov!